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{
    "id": 1078624,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1078624/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 146,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ugunja, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Opiyo Wandayi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2960,
        "legal_name": "James Opiyo Wandayi",
        "slug": "james-opiyo-wandayi"
    },
    "content": "I have asked for permission from the Speaker to refer to notes on my phone, but if they insist, I will try to persevere. Let me join my colleagues in passing my deeply felt condolences to the family of my friend, Jakoyo Midiwo. I came to know Jakoyo Midiwo when he was serving his first term in this Parliament. At that time, I was working for British American Tobacco (BAT) and there was a corporate social responsibility project I was implementing in his constituency. That is how I met him. From that first encounter, I learnt one or two things, one of which was that a Member of Parliament should not just sit back and wait for the so-called development to be brought by the Government. A Member of Parliament must go out of his way to create networks. That was a very valuable lesson I learnt from him. Come 2013 when I was running to be Member of Parliament, Jakoyo stood by me from day one up to the last moment. I remember very well at that time I was still undertaking an assignment in Kampala. Even after I had won the ODM nominations in Ugunja and came to Nairobi to look for my nomination certificate, it was delaying, so I went back to Kampala. When the certificate was ready, Jakoyo called me saying, “I have the certificate with me and I want you to come and pick it from me lest somebody plays mischief.” So I had to fly back from Entebbe to Nairobi and he gave me my certificate and those of the Ugunja MCA nominees. That is Jakoyo. He thought that if he did not do so, it could create room for some mischief. In the 11th Parliament, most of us in the CORD Coalition had wanted Jakoyo to be the Leader of the Minority Party, because we had seen the capacity in him. But because of the dynamics of coalitions, it did not happen. He became Deputy Leader of the Minority Party instead. Even as a deputy, he performed exemplarily well. His leadership in this House was exemplary and it was a lesson to most of us who were new. Fast forward, as I conclude, when Jakoyo did not make it back to this House in 2017, I must confirm and confess that I was among the few people who remained close to him. In fact, the period between that time and now that he has left us, he has been to my constituency countless number of times. I remember speaking to Jakoyo on phone last Saturday evening, one or two days before he passed on, about the demise of his elder sister. I did not know that I was speaking with him for the last time. He was still very confident as a man who was always sure of himself. Finally, we all know that Jakoyo ran as an independent candidate in Gem in the 2017 election. When the elections were concluded, I took it upon myself to initiate the process of bringing him back to ODM in my other capacity in the party. I must say that I was successful in organising his comeback and a ceremony to be received back by Baba at Chungwa House, of course, an initiative that did not please very many people. To cut the story short, I want us to give our departed brother the most befitting send-off and to take home the lessons we have learnt from his life as a politician, a father, brother and a son. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}